Already Gone Chapters 10 end
by meaghyn
Summary: Something was being a bit touched... so I'm going to try to post the rest of it here. -crosses fingers- this is a continuation from the "Already Gone" listed, but it wouldn't let me friggin load. What... a ... PAIN.


_I'll leave when the wind blows  
Take a breath and there it goes.  
I'll be outside of your window  
I'll pass by but I'll go slow  
I'll leave when the wind blows.  
There was a day when you threw our love away  
And you passed it to someone new  
You want to stay, but since you want to play  
I can finally say we're through…_

Shane, Steve and Stephanie patiently waited for Stacie to answer her door. They had given her a few days to calm down before coming out to see her, she hadn't been answering phone calls or e-mails. Steve had kind of filled them in on what had transpired and they were hoping by now they could talk her down out of her decision to quit the WWE. They had lawyers, they could fix this and Stacie could just work on Raw and never ever have to see Mark or Michelle. But what they were really dreading was telling her Mark had proposed to Michelle… and they were getting married in 2 months. Steve sighed and shifted anxiously from one foot to the other, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Stacie finally answered the door. Amazingly she looked cool, calm and collected.

"Hey guys." She gave them a sort of half smile and motioned for them to follow her. Shane and Stephanie exchanged awkward glances and moved into Stacie's entry way.

"Stacie… we're here because we're concerned…" Stephanie started off, but Stacie threw her hand up.

"I've made up my mind." Stacie walked over to her desk in the other room and came back out with an envelope and handed it to Shane.

"What's this?" Shane asked, but everyone already knew in their guts what it was.

"My resignation letter and the papers needed to split my part of the company between you and Stephanie."

"Now hold on a second…it's one thing to resign from your position…"

"No. I want to do this, I need to do this. I need to walk away from it all. I'm going to start my own Real Estate company and do what I really love. I'm going to go and do the things I've wanted to do, and I'm going to have some closure. Mark deserves peace and quiet, I deserve peace and quiet. Besides, there's no doubt in my mind that Mark is getting ready to or has already popped the question… and quiet frankly, I think I'd kill somebody if I had to hang around and hear all about it." Stacie flopped down into her big brown leather chair looking up at Steve, Stephanie and Shane. She could tell they were surprised, but they knew her well enough to know she meant business.

"Stacie… you're a McMahon… are you sure you want to give this up?" Steve asked moving in front of her and kneeling down to face her.

"Yes. I need to… you know this Steve." Steve sighed and took Stacie's hands in his, looking down and nodding.

"I know… I know… it just seems like such a tragic thing… to just, to have you gone."

"You do know that once you do this, there is no coming back?" Stephanie said coming up behind Steve looking down at her older sister. Stacie and Stephanie had always been close, Stephanie had looked up to Stacie and sought guidance from her when she took a roll in front of the camera. Stacie's absence would certainly be a gap in the WWE family.

"Well, we'll take your resignation, we're not taking your share of the company. That I won't allow." Shane piped in, he was sitting on her coffee table with his head in his hands.

Steve didn't have a good feeling about this, but he also knew if Stacie hung around for the sake of her family or expectations from everybody else, she might could never find some peace and happiness. May be later on she'd come back, but he knew there was no changing her mind right now – Mark had wounded her and wounded her deep.

____

Vince and Linda sat out in the limo in front of the Stacie's house waiting for someone to come out, Vince was so mad right now he could pop. He wasn't mad at Stacie, there was no doubt in Vince's mind that Stacie loved Mark. Stacie was never his irrational child, she was always the one that had a plan, stuck to it, followed it through. He was mad at Mark Calaway. He was mad at Michelle McCool. He was mad at whoever the bastard was toying with Mark and Stacie's past.

"Where the hell are they?" Vince asked in his calm but stern voice.

"Probably still trying to talk Stacie out of her decision."

"This isn't fair… Stacie has done nothing to warrant this. Why won't she fight it? And why wouldn't she want all this to come to light. It would at least teach Vince a lesson."

"Sweetheart… Stacie has loved Mark since the moment she met him and I assure you that right now she still does. For it to go public in such a malicious way is like trashing your most prized possession – she's doing what she has too to protect it."

"But I can fix this."

"No you can't Vince. The only two people who can fix this are Mark and Stacie, and I don't foresee that happening, unless some sort of miracle plops down in our laps." Vince and Linda quieted down as Shane and Stephanie made their way back to the limos. Shane slid in and rubbed a tear from his eye, followed by Stephanie

"She quit."

"Dammit…" Vince muttered and rubbed his temples.

"She wanted to give up her portion of the company but I wouldn't allow it; but I wouldn't be surprised if she moves to do that soon." Stephanie added, looking back up at Stacie's house.

"Where's Steve?" Linda asked.

"He's staying with her for a little while…" Shane answered looking back up at the house. Vince nodded to the cheuffer and they pulled off. He only hoped eventually Stacie might would come around, she could work in the offices soon, but he also understood that she needed this time to regroup. These past few months had been hell for her, according to Steve.

_____

Mark and Michelle sat backstage in catering, and watched as she picked at her food, he had been forcing her to eat lately for the babies sake. He sighed and looked around wondering if and when Stacie was ever going to come back, but knew deep down she wasn't coming back. In a matter of few days his world turned upside down, Michelle had announced her pregnancy backstage which forced his hand at proposing to her; some days it made him physically nauseous thinking about where his life was heading. But he had a kid on the way, and that was enough for him. He could get through this knowing that.

"Hey Deadman… let's go for a walk." Mark looked up at Paul Levesque. He had stayed behind while the rest of the family flew out to meet with Stacie. Mark nodded and stood up, leaving Michelle sitting there by herself – he welcomed the break. Mark followed Paul outside and was blindsided when Paul turned and smacked him across the face.

"Sorry, I had to do that, you royally fucked her over." Paul growled at Mark and continued to drag him along with him. Mark understood where Paul was coming from, he needed to this, so he just followed and didn't bother retaliating. "Look, I'm going to make this quick and to the point. I just got off the phone with Steph. Stacie quit."

"Quit?"

"Quit. From everything. She's no longer employed with the WWE."

"Because of me?"

"In a round about way, apparently someone threatened her by coming forward to the press with yours and Stacie's past, if she didn't quit."

"So why didn't she fight it?"

"Because she knows you want a baby and she's fearful if that happens, Michelle will bolt with the baby." Mark grew quiet, Stacie's loved had always been about sacrifice.

"I guess asking where she is and if I can talk to her is out of the question."

"Yeah… don't even think about going near her. I'll kill you." Mark watched as Paul stalked off and turned and hit the door frame on his way back in. He could kill someone right now.

____

Michelle watched as Mark walked off with Paul and couldn't help but smile to herself. She looked down at her left hand and felt the sense of triumph. There is was, the diamond ring that solidified the deal, she was going to be Mrs. Mark Calaway and would soon have her way, hopefully. Apparently the McMahon's were fiercly protective over Stacie and didn't like how things had transpired, she just had to get in their good graces and get Mark back in good standing. Give it a few days and things would smooth over – besides, who wants to torment a pregnant woman? Michelle chuckled to herself and threw the rest of her food away and got up to go find John.

____

Steve and Stacie had gotten up for their morning run, he had been in Vermont for almost a month now and this had been their thing. They'd get up, go run, then grab breakfast at a local diner; he enjoyed this time and was immensely proud of Stacie for pulling herself together in such a short amount of time – she had already bought a few older houses in Connecticut and New York and had people already restoring them; she was doing pretty good for herself.

He was also quiet proud of her as these past few days there had been no mention of Mark at all from her lips. He could tell when she was thinking about him, but she had stopped mentioning him – which was good, maybe she was finally moving on.

"Steve we need to stop… I don't feel good…" Stacie slowed her running and put her hands on her knees.

"Overwork yourself?" he asked coming up behind her and placing a hand on her back, just as she started to throw up. "Breathe in baby girl, breathe in… deep breaths. You must have over worked yourself…" But Stacie continued to throw up, which had Steve worried that she had caught the flu or something. She as burning up, and not just from running, she was abnormally hot. Once her vomiting had ceased, Steve picked her up and carried her back to her house and got her on the couch.

"Flu?"

"Maybe… God this awful feeling just came over me. And I'm so tired all of a sudden…" Stacie said, pulling down the blanket off her couch and onto her.

"Have any flu medicine?"

"Yeah, in the upstairs bathroom medicine cabinet." Stave jogged up the stair bringing back the Theraflu, measuring it out and handing it to her, he chuckled at the face she made.

"Poor thing… you're getting sick. And right here before all the holidays."

"It's like clock work, I always get sick about this time."

"Well, I'll make some chicken soup… get a fire going… and guess park it here for a while till your family gets in."

"Steve.. they don't get in for another two weeks… go home…"

"Eh eh… I'm not leaving you here, sick and pathetic. What sort of friend would I be?" Steve laughed as he passed her moving into her kitchen to gather the things to make chicken soup, he'd make the kind his mother used to make, he swore it could cure cancer.

"Stacie! Where's your crock pot?!"

"Cabinet above the fridge!" Steve opened the cabinet and drug out the cabinet knocking down some old papers and dust as he did so. He bent down and picked them and realized they were letters from Mark, several years old from when they were dating. He picked up the first one, it had been scribbled on a small piece of paper from a hotel room. He remembered Mark writing her letter when they were dating, their schedules were so busy he wrote when he could on anything he could find.

_Stacie,_

_These past few weeks have been grueling and the nights seem to creep by. Steve and the boys have been ragging on me about counting down the days until I can see you again. I know this has been hard on both of us, but I know in the end it will be okay. I know we're meant for each other. It's just a matter of time, and things will get better. You're worth it though darlin. Everything that we're going through is preparing us for what we need to survive. I love you. Just a few more days._

_All My Love,  
Mark_

Steve sighed and put the letters back on top of the fridge and continued on making the chicken soup, his conscious heavy for Mark and Stacie. Everything seemed like all odds were stacked against them, but something just didn't seem right. Mark and Stacie seemed so right for each other, how could something like this go so far south so quickly? There were moments where he doubted Michelle's pregnancy whenever he talked to Mark, no morning sickness, no weight gain. But each pregnancy was different, and Michelle had battled anorexia, so he didn't say anything to Mark. Mark would also repeatedly ask him if he knew were Stacie was, if he talked to her – Steve hated lying to the guy, but he was protective of Stacie, so he'd just say no. Steve finished putting the ingredients in the crock pot and moved back into the living room and joined Stacie who was watching t.v. She smiled over at him and snuggled deeper under the covers. Steve decided then he would stay on through Thanksgiving and leave shortly after, and maybe drag her with him to Texas to bring in Christmas.

_____

Maria slid in the booth in a dark corner of the hotel's restaurant; everyone else had gone out for the evening but she just wasn't feeling it. All she wanted was some coffee and some dessert before turning in for the night. She sat back in the booth and smiled as she took the piping hot cup of coffee in her hands and was just about to take a sip when she heard people sit in the booth behind her – it was John and Michelle; she rolled her eyes and was about to get up and move to another booth, but their conversation stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Does he know you're here?"

"No, I slipped a Benadryl in his drink and it knocked him on out. He's sleeping, but I don't want to be gone too long."

"So how much longer do we have to keep this up?"

"I figure just a few more months. I at least need to get married to the man before I miscarry. We'll stay married a little while, I'll push for power, in turn push for you to have some more power and then when Mark's about ready to retire I'll leave him.. Knowing him, he'll continue to wrestle and become one of those old wrestlers that should have stopped a long time ago." Maria froze… was Michelle getting an abortion?

"How are you keeping the pregnancy visage up?"

"Photoshop is a beautiful thing, John." Maria froze, Michelle was totally playing Mark. She had to tell somebody… but who?

Paul was backstage with Stephanie going over their holiday schedule, they were all going to Vermont to be with Stacie for Thanksgiving. Last Steph had talked to Stacie she was doing fine, a little under the weather but she was supposed to be going to the doctor tomorrow to get some heavy duty medicine so she could be better in time for Thanksgiving. Everyone seemed to be moving on fine from the whole Mark fiasco, well, everyone but Mark, but no one really cared. He, no pun intended, had dug his own grave.

"PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL!" Maria came bolting through the door startling both he and Stephanie.

"What? Is everything okay?"

"NO!"

"What is it?"

"Michelle's not really pregnant!" Paul and Stephanie's faces turned to shock, and they just stood there and looked at Maria.

"What?"

"Michelle's not pregnant…" Maria started again, fidgeting as she did so. "Don't tell them I told you. You see, I was at the hotel last night having dessert and coffee when they came in and sat behind me, I guess they didn't see me."

"Wait… who's they?"

"John and Michelle… and Michelle told John that she was going to miscarry the baby, photoshop is a beautiful thing, and eventually she would divorce Mark and leave him dry." Maria got it all out in a huddled mess.

"You're sure?"

"Positive!"

Stephanie and Paul exchanged glances and Paul thanked Maria for the information and told her not to breathe a word to anyone about what was said.

"I think it's time for another drug test…" Stephanie said.

"What?"

"I'll screen for pregnany's too… wouldn't want any of our diva's possibly hurting their unborn without knowing."

"I like the way you think Steph."

______

Stacie sat in her office staring at the doctor completely dumbfounded. She had come here for the flu. Not to be blindsided by this news. For a brief moment she's pretty sure the world stopped and she had to remind her self to breathe again.

"Ms. McMahon, are you okay?" Her doctor quipped.

"Yeah.. yeah… I'm fine… Just…"

"Shock is normal. Take some time to yourself and when you're ready to talk about options, call me at my office." Stacie nodded and got up, walking out to the waiting room where Steve was. She nodded for him to follow her outside and to her car, she didn't breathe a word till she got in the car, feeling the lump in her throat start to settle. Just when life starts turning around this shit happens….

"Stacie.. is everything okay?" Steve asked, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to look at him.

"No…" she got out, her voice high as she started to cry.

"Stacie… what is it? Are you going to be okay?"

"No…" She got out again.

"What… what is it?"

"…. I'm pregnant…" she got out in a whisper.


End file.
